Maria Sharapova: ELIMINATED ROUND 1 OF AUS OPEN?!

I..

Am..

Shocked..

66 unforced errors in 32 games?

Is this the same women who won the Australian Open 2008 in straight sets?

Why am I fighting to live, if I'm just living to fight
Why am I trying to see, when there aint nothing in sight
Why am I trying to give, when no one gives me a try
Why am I dying to live, if I'm just living to die?
-Tupac Shakur

Her opponent wasn't that great. They were both at a equal level. Same age, Same country, they played each other in prior tournaments, with equal results.

I agree with 03white, it must have been lack of confidence.
When I looked at the draw I was almost convinced it would be a easy win for Sharapova.
It's definitely unexpected..

Why am I fighting to live, if I'm just living to fight
Why am I trying to see, when there aint nothing in sight
Why am I trying to give, when no one gives me a try
Why am I dying to live, if I'm just living to die?
-Tupac Shakur

You guys have to hear me out on what goes on witht these players in the offseason. I can't say it enough. It isn't that they have lost it. Look up the pictures of Sharapova partying at all hours of the morning with musicians in rockbands. Geez. Need any more explanation than that? I am sorry, but in the tennis business nowadays, if you snooze, you lose. She is not putting as much time into her tennis anymore. She used to train relentlessly, but now, she is hungry for more than tennis titles. She is a beautiful young woman who is chased by handsome guys everywhere she goes. She goes to the finest places, drives the finest cars, drinks the finest wines, and hangs out with bigwigs, movie stars, and musicians. Do you think the motivation is there like it used to be? Sorry, it isn't. She can still play, but until she stops going out, partying, and really trains like there is no tomorrow, she is going to slide backwards. These other girls are training their butts off and if she does not, she will have to settle for back of the pack. If she trains, she will do well. She is not moving as explosively to the ball or nearly as smoothly as she used to and that is causing her to not be prepared as well for her shots. That usually is a sign of not training enough......

equal level?! Sharapova has had success at slams whereas Kirilenko struggles in small tournaments! The fact that they are from the same country and the same age has no relevance.

Right. Yet, Sharapova had to have operation on her shoulder and has hardly been playing tennis for like, what was it, 1 year and a half years? That gives her a big disadvantage in ground strokes and serves. Oh, and the past doesn't really matter, you see, I'm talking about NOW, she could have won those grand slams but do you think that makes her the stronger player, putting in thought the fact she DID lose? People simply assume that cause Sharapova was former world number one she has to win, and they get dissapointed she lost and say 'She was world number one and all those grand slams!' but do you think that made her any less better/worse on the court with Kirlenko? They were at the equal level considering all those things.
And actually, being the same age does matter. Because you see a 40 year old who has the same training levels as a 20 year old may not be able to achieve as much. Oh, yeah, and so does country, because if you had listened to Kirlenko's speech after the match she said something along the lines of 'I versed Kirlenko in a international tournament when we were little and won, so that gave me a lot of conifdence in this match today'.
The only reason I'm shocked is at her lack of confidence and effort. Oh, and all those errors.

Why am I fighting to live, if I'm just living to fight
Why am I trying to see, when there aint nothing in sight
Why am I trying to give, when no one gives me a try
Why am I dying to live, if I'm just living to die?
-Tupac Shakur

You guys have to hear me out on what goes on witht these players in the offseason. I can't say it enough. It isn't that they have lost it. Look up the pictures of Sharapova partying at all hours of the morning with musicians in rockbands. Geez. Need any more explanation than that? I am sorry, but in the tennis business nowadays, if you snooze, you lose. She is not putting as much time into her tennis anymore. She used to train relentlessly, but now, she is hungry for more than tennis titles. She is a beautiful young woman who is chased by handsome guys everywhere she goes. She goes to the finest places, drives the finest cars, drinks the finest wines, and hangs out with bigwigs, movie stars, and musicians. Do you think the motivation is there like it used to be? Sorry, it isn't. She can still play, but until she stops going out, partying, and really trains like there is no tomorrow, she is going to slide backwards. These other girls are training their butts off and if she does not, she will have to settle for back of the pack. If she trains, she will do well. She is not moving as explosively to the ball or nearly as smoothly as she used to and that is causing her to not be prepared as well for her shots. That usually is a sign of not training enough......

LOL, you and that party stuff!

Originally Posted by Robyna

Right. Yet, Sharapova had to have operation on her shoulder and has hardly been playing tennis for like, what was it, 1 year and a half years? That gives her a big disadvantage in ground strokes and serves. Oh, and the past doesn't really matter, you see, I'm talking about NOW, she could have won those grand slams but do you think that makes her the stronger player, putting in thought the fact she DID lose? People simply assume that cause Sharapova was former world number one she has to win, and they get dissapointed she lost and say 'She was world number one and all those grand slams!' but do you think that made her any less better/worse on the court with Kirlenko? They were at the equal level considering all those things.
And actually, being the same age does matter. Because you see a 40 year old who has the same training levels as a 20 year old may not be able to achieve as much. Oh, yeah, and so does country, because if you had listened to Kirlenko's speech after the match she said something along the lines of 'I versed Kirlenko in a international tournament when we were little and won, so that gave me a lot of conifdence in this match today'.
The only reason I'm shocked is at her lack of confidence and effort. Oh, and all those errors.

Ok thanks for that. Now we all know that the fact the Federer has won 15 slams does not imply he is capable of winning in the future.

Ok thanks for that. Now we all know that the fact the Federer has won 15 slams does not imply he is capable of winning in the future.

Yet the fact his kept his title of number one in the world does, doesn't it?

Last edited by Robyna; 01-20-2010 at 04:04 AM.

Why am I fighting to live, if I'm just living to fight
Why am I trying to see, when there aint nothing in sight
Why am I trying to give, when no one gives me a try
Why am I dying to live, if I'm just living to die?
-Tupac Shakur

Ok thanks for that. Now we all know that the fact the Federer has won 15 slams does not imply he is capable of winning in the future.

It's the truth though. She is known for her love of the nightlife. She never had the money to do those things when she first was coming up. Now she has more money than she can spend. It happened to Capriati, Hingis, and many others. It isn't always partying either. It's the desire for a social life, a boyfriend, time to herself. Normal things that she has never had. She had an enormous amount of pressure put on her when her father came to the U.S. with $700 bucks and a dream of making her great. She has been the family bread winner for years. I think her mind is elsewhere other than tennis. She comes to the tournaments and plays hard, I give her that, but I see a lack of preparation in her game.

I am curious about a top 20 player's alcohol policy... do they ever drink when they are in training? Once a week? During the off season?

Personally, I've found that alcohol is the enemy of tennis - maybe it has something to do with my body type. For that reason, I try to avoid drinking whenever possible (unless it is a social or business occasion where it is unavoidable)...

I am curious about a top 20 player's alcohol policy... do they ever drink when they are in training? Once a week? During the off season?

Personally, I've found that alcohol is the enemy of tennis - maybe it has something to do with my body type. For that reason, I try to avoid drinking whenever possible (unless it is a social or business occasion where it is unavoidable)...

The ones who do well don't drink, at least very little. Once you have a couple, you talk yourself into staying out a little later and then not only do you have to detox the next day, you don't get enough sleep. The better shape you are in, the more it affects you. It affects the insulin levels and makes you feel terrible the next day. Nothing wrong with a glass of wine every now and then, but I have seen Sharapova TRASHED! I went out with Martina Hingis a few times when I was hitting with her toward the end of her #1 reign (2000-2001) and she would have a few. Not a very good way to deal with stress and pressure. I found that the more the players go out with non-tennis players who party, the more susceptable they are to partying. Those musicians that I have seen Sharapova with couldn't do a forty yard sprint without having an ambulance come to the scene to administer CPR. They are grey-skinned and haven't seen sunlight in forever. Now there are a lot of musicians who keep themselves in shape, but not the "emo" group that I saw her with. A strong wind would knock those guys to the ground.

Good to hear an insider's perspective, TK, thanks. I'm fortunate that unlike some of my friends, I am not particularly enamoured of alcohol.

You aren't missing anything. To be honest with you, I have been around enough drunks to where I avoid them like the plague. They annoy me and being I have a quick temper, it is best for me to stay away from those situations. Sharapova still loves tennis, I am sure, but I think she yearns for a normal life and wants to experience it before it "passes her by". It's nice to have grounded people out there like Henin. The only time you will probably find a beer bottle in her hand is when she is using it to knock that sorry ex-husband of hers up side his head.

Lol, and about alcohol, my mom has drilled it in to me like a million times that you can be happy w/o it, and she thinks that if I try it even, I'll probably get addicted so she's told me not even to touch it...

Speaking of upsets, Kim Clijsters is out, losing to Nadia Petrova. The quarterfinals seem to be easier now for Henin.